You guys up for more wedding dress talk? 😀

I’ve actually been dress shopping a few more times since my last post on the topic.

First up — Neiman Marcus

I was actually really disappointed in NM. They don’t have very many dresses out on the floor (and what they did have on display were more “high fashion bridal” than “regular person bridal”) so you have to tell your consultant what you want and then she’ll select dresses in the back and bring them to your dressing room. I had a good consultant, though, so this wasn’t a problem… but I still wish that I had the chance to browse through their selection on my own and leisurely study the beautiful details on each piece. They do have a really nice, spacious dressing room, which was great — with the 3 of us in there (I brought my future sister-in-law Susie with me), it never felt cramped. I didn’t really care for the dresses I tried on… but there was a memorable Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier that I’ll post pictures of at the end.

I also visited Clarissa Bridal, which is a really nice family-owned salon. I had such great service here! Unfortunately, they seem to be about 3-4 seasons behind in the dresses they carry and while they had a solid selection, I didn’t find any that were my style.

After visiting these salons, my mind kept drawing me back to 2 Monique Lhuillier dresses that I saw on my first shopping day. Because I didn’t want to go back to the Unique Bride (didn’t like my consultant), I went to Bridal Galleria instead (they carry similar designers). I tried on the dresses again but still couldn’t decide. I even dragged my cousin in when she visited back in October and she was no help. She insisted that she liked both.

So finally, during my trip to Southern CA a few weeks back, I dragged my best friends, my aunt, and my cousin to the Monique Lhuillier flagship store in LA. They overwhelmingly liked one over the other so when I got back to the Bay Area on Monday, I went in to Bridal Galleria to get measured and put my deposit down. THE DRESS arrives in mid-April. SQUEE.

Want to see some pictures? 🙂 (Rob, this is when you stop reading).

More Dresses I Tried On (And Ruled Out)

Monique Lhuillier. This is actually 2 pieces — a corset-type top with skirt. Beautiful material. Very light. This is part of ML’s platinum bridal collection, which means it is VERY expensive. Like celebrity expensive.

 

Vera Wang. Gorgeous tissue organza. Love the details — from the lace in front to the buttons and roses on the back. Lovely. I really liked it when I tried it on but I showed a photo to a co-worker and she said it looked like lingerie! So this dress was out.

 

Monique Lhuillier. “Snow White.” Beautiful but a little too plain for me. (I really want some detailing on the bodice). And it also felt really heavy, which wouldn’t work for an outdoor summer wedding.

 

Monique Lhuillier. “Swan Lake.” Mmm. The tulle is so whimsical! And I love that the dress really is reminiscent of the ballet. But the deep v-neck made me feel incredibly self-conscious. No go.

 

Monique Lhuillier. “Bianca.” Pretty but no “wow” factor for me.

MY TOP 2 CHOICES

Monique Lhuillier. “Elle.” I really, really love this dress. But after trying it on 3 times (hehe), I realized that I’m too short for it. The bodice is long and with the amount of tulle they’d have to take off at the bottom, the entire dress wouldn’t look proportional after all the alterations.

 

Monique Lhuillier. “Clementine.” HERE IT IS. THE ONE. (Well, please ignore the bolero/shrug the model is wearing — I ordered the strapless dress alone). From the embroidery and sparkle on the bodice, to the slight sweetheart neckline, to the pick-ups, to the bows and buttons on the train… I just LOVE it. SQUEE!!! I originally counted it out because it was over my budget but just could NOT stop thinking about it. I have committed to some serious saving during the next few months. YAY.

Dress down, lots of other wedding tasks to go!